Automobile brake



JuEy 9, 1935.. E. D. BROWN AUTOMOBILE BRAKE Filed May l, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 9, i935. E. D. BROWN AUTOMOBILE BRAKE Filed May l, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 9, 1935 i y u K UNITED STATES] PATENT OFFICE u ff. 1 i 2,007,593 Y jf AUTOMoBILERAKE IEdgar n. isbwaicttsvine, ra. Appliationnay i. 1934, serial No'. 723,396

u A s claims. kol.. 19a- 13) `'Ihis inventionrelates to brake mechanismfor` trating the invention, but it is to be' expressly automotive vehiclesy and the like and more parunderstood that the invention is not limited by .tiulally t a power actuatedemergency 'or parkthis illustrative embodiment nor are `these draw-A ingbrake which may be appliedv without the ings designed to dei-lne the scope of the invennecessity of the manipulation `of anmernergency tion, reference being had to the appended claims ,5

brake'hand lever by the operator, and o'f the'type for this purpose.

generally disclosed in my prior` Patents Nos. i In said drawings- 1,645,124Y and 1,645,1-2n5on which this is an imi- Fig. 1 is a perspective elevation of a portion of provement. Y mechanism of an automobile showing one ernl()v One of the objects of this invention is toprobodiment of the invention applied thereto with A vide a power actuated emergency brake that will the emergency brake in the applied position; remaininthe applied `position after it has been Fig. 2Y is a side View of a portion of theV emapplieduntil released by the returnofthe clutch bodiment shown in Fig. 1 showing in full line the lever on engagement of the clutch, thereby elirnibrake in released position and in dotted line the nating any but the desired movement of? the vcar position of the parts when the brake is applied; l5, on an incline or hill. v i Fig.. 3 is aside elevation similar to Fig'. 2 show- A further object of this invention is to provide ing the parts at the position they occupy just anv electric circuitand electric lock` in conjuncafter` the weighted lever has been released and tion with the ordinary ignition lock of the Vehicle the brake is going on; and

which will render the brake releasing means inu Fig'. 4 is a more detailed side elevation of the 20 operative when the ignition system of thevehicle releasing stud and switch actuated by said stud is broken or'in the oii position, thuseliminatng and` of the foot. brake lever safety device, all of any accidental release of .the brake by play ofV rwhich are shown in their operative positions in children or other hazard. Fig 1.

2,51 Another and'still further object of this `inven- .Referring to the drawings, which like refer-k 25 tion is to provide a; device that willreturn lthe ence numerals indicate like parts throughout the brake to the released position automatically several views, vin Fig. 1,Vl is the flywheel casing, should the brake be accidentally appliedrbyjrea- 2, the gearbox, 3 the shift lever base for shift son of faulty construction and will retain the lever 4, 5 is the drive shaft, 6 is theV clutch lever brake in the released position in this emergency rotatably mounted on shaft l, 8 is the foot brake 3Q until the operator of the vehicle desires'to aplever` alsovrotatably mounted on shaft 1,- all of ply it. which.4 may be of any Standard construction. Re-

Another object of this inventionfis to provide `ferring now aswell to Fig. Zand Fig. 3, formed a power .braking means that may only be reon driveshait 5 is brake drum 9 adjacent to gear leased at a predetermined position of the service box` 24. Brake band Hl is positioned around said Y3,5 l or foot brake and by means of Yan `additional rebrake drum S'Ywith its lower end l l attached by leasing device independent of either the' clutch piny l.2to arm I3 of bracket llll attached to the or the service brake, 'thus eliminating'r any opgear boX 2. Rotatably mounted in bracket I4 on portunity for release of the brake other than at pin l5'is a rearwardly extending, brake applying tu the will of the operator. lever IB whichapplies a braking .pressure tothe 4 0 A further objectofthis inventionis toprovide upper `end l'l.v of brake band lll through pin I8 a meansfor releasing the brakecontrolled by an and springl i9', pin l2 passing through end l'l and electric vcircuit so designed as to be broken or acting asvguide for it. Adjustably mounted on open when the brake is beinglapplied, thus elimilever I-B is weight 20 to which is attached by u hating any chance of the releasingmeans counbracket 2| ysuitable shockabs-orbing means 22,

teracting the application of" the brake, Aandi'de'- lfastened. at 23 tothe car frame, said means being signed to remain open when the brake is' applied 4designed to take up the shock of the fall of weight Y until the ignition lock is turned to the on posi- 20' and lever I6. Attached to the car frame at tion and the clutch lever is returned to engaged any suitable point is an electric motor 24 whose position. i o y ,p 'armature 25 carries an arm 26 to which isrotat- 5 9 Other and still further objects of the invention ablymountedat 27 a connecting link 28 which will appear in the following description; connects to the lever l5 at pivot 2S. Y Formed on The invention is capableoiv application inmany the lever IE are the lugs 30 designed to engage mechanical forms, one of which is shownin'the the notches 3l cut inthe sides 32 oi the latch 33 `accompariying drawings-forthe purpose of -illuswhen the brake is in thereleased position. Latch 5.5

Safety latch is rotatably mounted on projection 46 so as to engage pivot 21 when the lever I6 is in the raised position, said latch being connected to rod 4| by rod 41 through suitable joints 46' and 41. At its forward end rod 4|' engages crank arm 48 at pivot 49, crank -arm48 being firmly secured to shaft 50 rotatably mounted at its outer end to the car frame and at its inner end to the shift lever base 3. Adjacent to shift lever base'3 and secured to shaft 50 is arm 5I connected at its outer end through connection 52 to the trip stud 53. Also secured to shaft 56 is arm 54 carrying at its other end and at right angles thereto member 55. Over member 55 passes safety rod 56 guided by frame 51 secured to the car frame and actuated by brake lever 8 through connection 58. Spring 59 insures the return of the brake lever 8 to its normal position.

Attached to lever I6 is stud 60 on which is rotatably mounted bell crank lever 6I. Projection 62 on shaft I6 acts as a stop for upward motion of the long arm of the bell crank lever 6I, the short arm of said lever being connected by rod 63 to notched rack 64. Rack 64 is rotatably mounted on shaft 65 fastened to the gear box 2, or in any other suitable way, so as to engage the tooth member 66'pivoted at 61 to brake lever 8. The inner side of thetooth member 66 rides on projection 68 mounted on the car frame or other fixed member.

Rod 1I acting through spring 69 and pin 19 joins rack 64 and switch arm 12 mounted to rotate on pin 13. Switch arm 12 is connected to clutch lever 6 through the notched bar 14, arm. 15 permanently fastened to shaft 16 rotatably mounted in the oar frame and terminating in finger 11 which engages the under surface of the clutch lever 6.

Novel means have been provided to raise the weighted lever I6 and release the brake when it is desired to put the vehicle in motion. Electric motor 24 receives current from any suitable source such as the storage battery 18, part of the standard equipment of the car. From this source 18 current flows through circuit 19 to one pole of the car ignition switch 80. From the other pole of switch the circuit continues through connection 8| to one pole of the switch 82 which is operated by the trip stud 53. From the opposite pole'of switch 82 the circuit continues through connection 83 to one pole of switch 84 operated by the clutch lever 6 through nger 11, shaft 16, arm 15, notched bar 14 and switch arm 12, said switch arm normally being in the position to complete the circuit through switch 84. The other pole of switch 84 is connected to one pole of switch 86 through connection 85. Switch 86 is controlled by the movement of lever I6. The opposite pole of switch 86 is connected to the electric motor 24 through connection 81. From the motor 24 the circuit is completed to the negativepole of battery 18 by any suitable means, such as the grounds to the car frame shown at 88.

When the operator of the vehicle'desires to ap'- ply the parking brake, foot brake lever 8 is fully depressed, which motion is transmitted to the tooth member 66 which member, riding on the stud 68, is lifted, thus freeing rack 64 and allowing it to rotate when the lever I6 is dropped. This motion of the foot brake lever 8 is also transmitted through connection 58 to safety rod 56 drawing it off of the member 55 thereby allowing free rotation of the shaft 58 when the trip stud 53 is depressed. The operator, still holding the foot brake lever 8 in depressed position, then depresses the trip stud 53. This motion passing through arm 5I rotates shaft 58 and arm 48, thereby drawing rod 4| forward. This movement of rod 4| is transmitted to bracket 40 and latch 3'3 through spring 43 and lock nut 44. Latch 33 is rotated forward against the tension of springs 36, notches 3| disengage studs 30 and the lever I6 falls applying the brake. This same motion of rod 4| also operatesto rotate safetylatch 45' by transmissionthrough connection 41', rod 41, and connectionr46, this latch releasing its retention of the pivot 21 at the same instant notches 3'I kdisengage studs 30, the latch 45 being designed to act in place of latch 33 should the latter fail to function, It is'to' be particularly noted that according to theA present invention the emergency or parking brake cannot be applied until the foot brakelever 8 is completely depressed. This safety device insures that the brake willhat no time be applied until the vehicle is completely at rest, thereby avoiding sudden stops andV consequent accident. It is also to be noted that the rack 64tooth member 66 and foot brake lever 6 connecting through rod 63 to bell crank lever 6| actas an auxiliary means tohold the lever I6 in the raised position should latch 33 become inoperative. Further note is to be had to the fact that when the trip stud 53 is depressed switch 82 is opened, vopening the circuit from the source of electric current 18 to the electric motor 24, thereby rendering the motor 24 inoperative so that under no possible condition could it operate to maintain the lever I6r in the raised position and the brake in the position of release.v As Asoon as lever I8 falls the operator may allow the foot brake pedal Y8 and the trip stud 53 to return to their normal positions by removing the pressure applied to them, thus closing switch 82 and allowing toothed member 66 to reengage the rack 64. The fall of lever I6 acting through rod 63, spring 69,' and rod 1| opens the switch 84, the switch arm 12 rid'- ing over the notches in the notched bar 14. The action of switch arm 12 riding over the notches in the notched bar 14 is made'possible by the construction of the entire switch assembly. The arm 15 rotates about a fixed point, the shaft 16. The notched bar 14 rotatably engages arm 15 and has its opposite end restrained, asiby the bracket 96 to allow a sliding movement therein plus a slight displacement at right angles to the direction of slide. The arm 15 rotating about its shaft by this construction raises and lowers the notched bar 14 with reference to the switch arm 12. When clutch lever'6 is in its normal position arm 15 is in position to raise the notched bar 14 to its maxlmum elevationwith reference to the switch arm `12 and todisengage the'notches of the bar and the end of the switch arm', allowing the switch arm 12 to move without interference. When the clutch lever is depressed the notched bar 14 is dropped as arm 15 rotates'in a 'clockwise direc- -tion and is by this means allowed to engage the switch arm 12 on return of the clutch lever to its normal position., The 'downward motion or lever tnevemieis at rest with the brake aplpliedandfthe ignition system turned oifthe circuit from source of electric current F18 toelecL tric motor 24 is broken in two places, namely at thefignition switchand the switch 84 acti- The yoperator enhicle engin'eis started andthe operator depresses clutchflever'iS preparatory to puttingthe vehicle ingean `IJThis depression Working through the finger 11, rod I6 and arm -'I5 slides the Vnotched bari-Mover the switch arm 12. As the clutch lever 6 is allowedto return slowly to put the vehicle in motion a'notch on the notched bar 'I4 engages the switch arm 'I2 and against the tension of spring 69 moves that member to the rear and into position toclose the switch 84 andcomplete the t circuit between source of electric supply Ill and electric motor 24. This completion of the circuit Occurs at a predetermined time interval before the clutch is completely engaged so that the brake may be off when thevehicle commences to move.

As soon as switch 84 is closed the armature 25 of electric motor 24 commences to rotate. This movement vis Atransferred through arm 26 and connecting link 28 to the lever `I6 `which commences torise, the springs 36 meanwhile holding Ylatch 33 against lugs 30. When these lugs 30 arrive at a point opposite the notches 3| the latch 33 is swung to the rear by the springs 36. At the same instant the upward motion of lever I 6 opens switch 86, shutting off the current to electric motor 24 and `further upward movement of lever I6 ceases. `The `brake is then in the brake released v position. Y Simultaneous with the releasing of the brake the clutch engages completely and the vehicle moves off without jerk or vibration'.v Thus it will be seen that this brake may be used not only for the usual parking service but also when the vehicle must be temporarily stopped on an incline to insure a smoothstart up the incline without any drift to the rear andconsequent danger of collision with the vehicles that may be behind.

Switch 86 also plays an important part as a safety device. When the vehicle is in motion and the brake released, the electric circuit from source of power 18 toV electric motor 24 is broken at one point only, namely, at switch 86. Now suppose that by some chance latch 33, safety latch 45 and rack assembly 64 all become inoperative at the same time. The lever I6 will start to fall but before the brake is applied the circuit will be closed at switch 86, and the electric lmotor 24 will raise lever I6 until switch 86 is opened when the process will occur again. The noise of motor 24 persistently lifting lever I6 will attract the operators attention and lead to discovery of the defect in the mechanism as well as insure that the brake will not be suddenly and violently applied when the vehicle is in motion.

Chain 89 provides a manual means for lifting the lever I6 toV the position'of brake released should the provided automatic means fail.

From the `foregoing it will be seen that there is provided by the invention an automatically operated power-device for applying the parking or emergency bra-ke which device, however, cannot be operatedwithout first depressing the foot brake pedal and then depressing the trip stud;

.that'the brake may be thus applied whether Vthe engine `be `running or not but only whenthe vehicle is at rest or is in process ofbeing brought to rest by means of pressure on the footbrake pedal; that the brake may be released by apply- 2 ingpowerto a separate electric motor, it-being necessary,- however, before initiating the lrelease to start to return to its normal position; and that all of the operations areunder the control of the .clutch lever, the foot brake lever, and the'trip stud, thereby entirely eliminating the emergency brake lever heretoforein common use.

It will Abe readily understood by those skilled in the art that the inventive idea is not limited to the illustrative embodiment thereofshown and described in detail'herein, since variousmodil-ica` tions may be effected without departing from the broad inventive idea. For instance it is not essential to the inventive idea that the braking means be applied to the drive shaft of the automotive vehicle, it being quite obvious that the invention is applicable to the usual and standard two wheel or four wheel braking systems. The scope of the invention is therefore not to be limited to the specic embodiment herein shown and described,

or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

What is claimed iszl. In a braking mechanism for automobiles or the like, a. brake, a'weighted lever operatively connected thereto, means for raising said weighted lever and releasing said brake, an electric circuit controlling said raising means, an ignition circuit for the automobile, and common means for closing said controlling circuit and said ignition circuit.

2. In a braking mechanism for automobiles or the like, a brake, a weighted lever operatively connected thereto, means for raising said Weighted'lever and releasing said brake, an electric circuit controlling said raising means, a clutch lever, and means operatively connected to said clutch lever for closing said circuit.

3. In a braking mechanism for automobiles or the like, a brake, a weighted lever operatively connected thereto, means for raising said weighted lever and releasing said brake, an electric circuit'controlling said raising means, a clutch lever, and means associated with said clutch lever for closing said circuit on return of said clutch lever to clutch engaged position.

4. In a braking mechanism for vehicles, abrake, a weighted lever operatively connected thereto, means for raising said weighted lever and releasing said brake, an electric circuit controlling said raising means, means for releasing said weighted i 1 ing said brake, an electric circuit controlling said leasing said brake, an electric circuit controlling said raising means, means operatively connected to said weighted lever for opening and closing said circuit when said weighted lever is in the raised and in the released position, respectively.

'7. In a braking mechanism for automobiles or the like, a bra-ke, a weighted lever operatively connected thereto, means for raising said weighted lever and releasing said brake, an electric circuit controlling said raising means, means controlled by said weighted lever for opening and closing said circuit, means for releasing said weighted lever from raised position, means associated with said releasing -means of said Weighted lever for opening and closing said circuit, additional means for opening and closing said circuit, means operatively connecting said weighted lever and said additional meanstor opening said circuit when said weighted lever is released, a clutch lever and means operatively connecting said clutch lever and said additional lmeans for closing said circuit on return of said clutch to clutch engaged position. A

8. In a braking mechanism for automobiles or the like, a brake, a weighted lever operatively connected thereto, means for raising said weighted lever and releasing said brake, an electric circuit controlling said raising means, a clutch lever, means operated by release of said weighted lever to'open said circuit, and means operated by said clutch lever to close said ycircuit Whensaid clutch lever is returning to the clutch .engaged position.

' EDGAR D. BROWN. 

